The winner of the Hawaii Senate District 18 seat will not be decided in Saturday’s primary, and Gov. Josh Green could announce his appointee as soon as Sunday to fill the vacancy created by Michelle Kidani’s June 30 retirement.
People involved in the selection process say Danielle Bass, sustainability coordinator for the state Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, is the likely choice. Her expected appointment has prompted criticism from some Democrats who object to the opaque process, limited public input, and Bass’s prior role as a legislative manager for former Rep. Ryan Yamane before she became sustainability coordinator in 2017, when the position was created.
At the time Bass was hired, then-planning director Leo Asuncion Jr. praised her policy and management experience and said it would support the state’s sustainability goals.
Yamane and Asuncion were indicted July 24 along with Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and two others in a state corruption probe. All but one have pleaded not guilty to bribery charges. The remaining defendant, Tobi Solidum, is believed to be in the Philippines.
Voters in District 18, which covers Mililani Town, Waipiʻo Gentry, Crestview, Waikele, part of Waipahu, Village Park and Royal Kunia, were already precluded from an open primary after Kidani, who had health issues, announced her retirement too late for candidates to file.
Bass is one of three applicants forwarded last month to the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi Oʻahu County Committee for the interim appointment. The others are Sechyi Laiu, a senior Hawaiʻi civil service administrator, and Beth Fukumoto, a former Republican state representative who joined the Democratic Party in 2017.
The governor’s appointee will serve only until Nov. 3, the day of the general election. For the general, political parties, not district voters, will choose nominees to appear on the ballot. Elections officials are also expected to place a nonpartisan candidate on the ballot. Bass is viewed as the Democratic frontrunner to be listed in November as well.
Hawaii Senate District 18 general election lineup taking shape
Oʻahu Democrats plan to meet Aug. 22 via Zoom to select their nominee. The 23-member area district council making the decision includes Bass and several of her family members.
Each candidate will have three minutes to speak. Fukumoto and her relatives also sit on the council but appear short of the votes needed to secure the nomination.
On the GOP side, the Hawaiʻi Republican Party is considering nominating Lauren Matsumoto, the House minority leader, for the Nov. 3 ballot. Matsumoto, who is unopposed for House reelection, is seen as a strong contender in a district where Republicans have shown some strength.
A July 1 opinion from the attorney general indicates she could resign her House seat and still run in the general.
Rep. Trish La Chica, a Democrat representing House District 37, which overlaps with parts of Senate District 18, could also be eligible to run if nonpartisan candidate Emil Svrcina does not meet the vote threshold to move to the general. La Chica’s Democratic primary opponent, Trevor Nagamine, also serves on the district council, underscoring the tight political circles surrounding the process.
Oʻahu County Chair Lynn Robinson Onderko said Friday that La Chica, whose husband also sits on the council, has recused herself from the selection process for the general election candidate. The application deadline to seek the party nomination is Aug. 19.
Each council member will cast a single vote for one candidate. People involved in the process say Bass appears to have secured a majority of support.
The Green and Libertarian parties will also name candidates, though neither has ever won a seat in the Hawaiʻi Legislature. A nonpartisan candidate will appear on the ballot as determined by a Hawaiʻi Office of Elections lottery.
Whoever replaces Kidani could influence leadership coalitions in the 25-member Senate, where Ron Kouchi serves as president and Donovan Dela Cruz is seeking another term. Several new senators could take office when the Legislature convenes in January.
Three Democratic insiders said the appointment-and-nomination framework looks problematic at a time when favoritism concerns are dominating headlines. “There’s got to be a better way to handle resignations,” one party member said. “It’s a dumb system.”
The process is set by a new state law enacted this year, and both the party and the attorney general are operating within its limits. Lawmakers could revisit the statute in a future session.
Related coverage of Gov. Green’s administration is available in Josh Green’s House of Cards: Scandal, Distraction, and a Governor Failing Hawaii.
